This invention relates to a braking force adjusting device in a fishing reel in which an adjuster is improved which is adapted to adjust the brake force of a drive gear which is rotatably and frictionally coupled through a braking member to a handle shaft.
A fishing reel has a drag mechanism for applying a braking force to the spool which is rotatably supported between the side plates of the reel body. The drag mechanism includes an adjuster for adjusting a frictional force to couple the drive gear to the handle shaft. The adjuster, as disclosed by Japanese Utility Patent Application (OPI) No. 44071/1983 or 68774/1988 (the term "OPI" as used herein means an "unexamined application"), is made up of an operating member and a threaded engaging boss which is threadably engaged with the handle shaft.
The threaded engaging boss is formed by shaping and female-threading a metal material. An operating member made of an aluminum or brass plate is made integral with the threaded engaging boss by caulking or by welding.
On the other hand, in order to allow the angler to use the fishing reel pleasantly, the operating member is made of synthetic resin, and the threaded engaging boss is made integral with the operating member of synthetic resin by insert-molding.
The formation of any one of the above-described adjusters requires a manufacturing step of making the operating member integral with the threaded engaging boss, which increases the manufacturing cost of the adjuster and accordingly the fishing reel.
Hence, problems to be solved by the invention are as follows: The manufacture of the threaded engaging boss is rather troublesome because, as was described above, it is formed by shaping and female-threading a metal material. In the case where the threaded engaging boss and the operating member are provided separately, it is necessary to provide a manufacturing step of making them integral with each other. Thus, the manufacture of the adjuster takes time and labor. The resultant adjuster is unavoidably expensive.